Red Sox Preview - Centerfield

Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Centerfield
Primary player and backup(s): Covelli "Coco" Crisp, Adam Stern

HITTING - It is hard to get a feel for how good Crisp may be due to the fact that 2006 will only be his 3rd season as a starter. If 2005 was any indication, the Red Sox may have a very solid player on their hands. In 2005 Crisp's stats looked like this; .300 BA, 86 R, 16 HR, 69 RBI. NOt bad for a guy that's only 26. The biggest change facing Crips is that he batted primarily 2nd in Cleveland and will be asked to take over the leadoff role in Boston. For that, I'm sure that Boston would like to see him raise his .345 OBP a bit for the big bats behind him. I think Crisp can succeed as a leadoff hitter, but I think his 20 HR potential would fit better in the 2 spot. As for Stern, he's a 25 year old with 15 career AB in the majors. He did bat .321 while on rehab in Triple-A in 20 games, but that isn't much of a sample to make a call on how well he'll fare. I'm going to go B- here till Coco proves he can bat leadoff.

FIELDING - As much as Shark already expounded on Crisp's fielding abilities, it calls for a little clarifying. Crisp's first two years he started a total of 120 games and only committed 2 errors. Over the last two years is when he committed the other 9. While impressive, most scouts think he is much better suited for leftfield rather than center, and I will look forward to how he adjusts to the odd dimensions in Fenway. Also, although his arm is an improvement over Damon's (hell, my arm is better than Damon's), he isn't exactly gunning guys out on the base paths (8 assists over the last 2 years). Not much on STern here, except that with his speed, some see him as a possible late-inning defensive replacement. They get a B here until Crisp proves he can make the move to center.

BASE RUNNING - Over the last two years Crisp has stolen a combined 35 bases. Pretty good speed for a guy with 20 HR capability too. The only red flag here is that he was also caught stealing 19 times over that same span. If he can cut down on that, which he has too with the likes of Manny and Pappi hitting behind him, he could be a real weapon for them. Batting 2nd last year Crisp also scored 86 runs, you can gurantee this will increase with the move to Boston's potent line up. Speed is what Stern will primarily bring to the table this year for Boston. Between his senior year at Nebraska and his first two years at Single-A and Double-A, Stern stole 95 bases. The guy is anything but slow. The Sox hope that the injuries that plagued him the last few years are gone and he can especially contribute in pinch-running situations. They get a B- here till Crisp doesn't get caught so much and Stern actually plays.

DEPTH - As I've mentioned before, the Red Sox entire outfield has depth problems. Mainly the fact that Stern is the only backup listed for every position. Although Crisp has never missed significant time due to injury, he's also only played two full seasons. We'll see how the third one goes. You can't feel comfortable either as a Sox fan knowing the injury prone and unproven Stern is waiting in the wings. D

INTANGIBLES - No offense Shark, but I'm not sure what extra Coco brings, besides a funny name to the outfield. He does add youth to the roster and 20/20 potential, but I don't see an x-factor here that can help push the Red Sox to that next level. The biggest thing I see him contributing is for the Yankke fans. It's like getting a whole new round of ammo when someone named Coco joins the team. Good times! D

OVERALL - I actually did like this move overall by the Red Sox. They get younger and save some money. I just think they should have gotten a more pure leadoff hitter so Crisp could bat 2nd with Manny and Ortiz following him. I think that would have been the best offensive lineup for them. Heck, who knows, maybe they'll move Loretta to leadoff. Really though, the biggest questions will be if Crisp can handle the move back to center and the leadoff spot. I look for him to produce along the lines of his last couple of years with a little bump up on offense and maybe a little bump down on defense. He'll be solid, but I don't think he's an All-Star yet. C+